Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu
were married on May 1, 1967 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. It was a
private affair, with a small group of family and friends. They signed for the
license at about 3:30 a.m. Then just after 9:40 that morning, the ceremony was
underway. It was an eight minute ceremony, with no frills…and as far as we
know, there was no music. Promises were made to “love, honor, and comfort” each
other. Priscilla didn’t utter the “O” word. Her younger sister Michelle was the
maid of honor; Elvis had 2 best men.
They danced to “Love Me Tender” at
the wedding.
Four weeks after their wedding, they
again donned their wedding clothes for a reception for family and friends who
were not at the wedding. It was held at Graceland. There were many hurt
feelings among those who could have attended the wedding but were not invited;
this second reception was largely an attempt to appease them and soothe the
hurt feelings, at which it was only partially successful.
An accordion player from the area,
Tony Barrasso, circulated among the crowd at the reception taking requests from
the guests; there was a dance band as well. Tony was a friend of Elvis’ and had
often been brought in to play for Elvis and his guests, especially at Christmas
time.
In addition to playing Love Me
Tender, Elvis asked Tony if he could play the Tennessee Waltz, adding that
although he had never seen his father dance or drink, he was sure if Tony would
play that song, it would coax his dad and his step-mother out on the dance
floor. Sure enough, the ploy worked, as Elvis laughed uncontrollably and
everyone in the room clapped with joy and celebration.
Elvis carried Priscilla across the
threshold of their home in Los Angeles after they were married while singing
“The Hawaiian Wedding Song.”
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| UPI Photo of Elvis & Priscilla with Tony Barrasso on accordion |
Oddly, the UPI (United Press International) picture that
circulated is taken at a slightly different angle, which just shows Priscilla,
Elvis, and the violin player hidden behind the cake. Tony got cropped out.
